When the Sins Come Back to Haunt Us
by Wandering Lust
Summary: Its been 3 months since the return of Ichigo's powers, and it seems that there is nothing that could stop him now, aside the fact that he has to think about what he's going to be in the future. But with the arrival of demons and a race that was long ago separated from their realm, Ichigo learns that he won't have worry about a future any longer...all thanks to the Soul Society.
1. Prologue: The Calm, The Happy, The End

**A/N;** **I'm not really new to this website, but I am new to writing a fanfiction for it, so sorry if I seem a little sketchy at first ;^.^  
So yes, this is my story! First Bleach story I dared to write since I was like, I dunno, twelve?**

 **Anyways, since this is an original arc story, I just wanted to let you know that** **if there is** **a chapter where I feel that a character(s) or term(s) need a proper profile or definition in order for you guys to better understand the story, I will add one of those right after that chapter. Just to keep you guys on your toes all throughout ^.^** **Also, I will make my updates every Saturday, and during the week I may or may not add a Shinigami Illustration book to make sure you guys know that I'm still alive. It depends on how busy I am. This story is also posted on my Wattpad as well as Quotev. My name on Wattpad is BlueJay13 and on Quotev it's cj wants 1k. So if there are any questions or comments please feel free to leave them here. And if you have any criticism, please inbox me! Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Silence was always an ironic thing to her.

Long ago, she decided that silence was never _just_ silence. In fact it was nothing but a calm state in which someone had the choice to reflect on the actions and decisions that had led them up to a certain point in time. And this was exactly what she was doing currently. Reflecting.

Time was running out, this she knew. In just a little while longer she would be summoned back to her king's palace (though there really wasn't much of it left to be called a palace), and so would begin the giant leap that would change the lives of her and her fellow people forever. Just the thought of that itself caused her heart to skip a beat from the amount of pressure. Maybe that's why she felt that she needed to flee away from the madness and clear her head a bit.

She stood at the edge of a cliff, her eyes casting over the sea of green that lay before her. Here was the only place in Rengoku where it seemed it had not been fully affected by the decay. Although the grass was becoming dry, and the flowers that were left were still trying to struggle through the deprivation of life, it was much better off than a majority of other areas.

Eyes closed, her head tilted upwards towards the dull gray colored sky as a light breeze kissed her cheeks and filled her nostrils.

 _Smoke_. She observed thoughtfully. _Another village must have caught on fire from the lack of moisture in the air._

"Sutorei-sama."

As she opened her eyes to the sound of her name, she was welcomed to a messenger that was floating in the air before her, his white colored shihakusho dancing in the wind as he hunched over in a respectful bow. She didn't have to question him on his appearance. She knew exactly what he came to her for.

She sighed to herself and shook her head slightly, trying to get herself back in the game. Despite how she may have appeared, she was indeed excited. For one , today was the day that set forth the plan that her people have been working on before she was even born. And secondly, she was about to venture a world that she had only been able to see through her king's _Surdoi me_ (Eagle eye). It was an honor that she would be apart of the first group to travel there.

But what peaked her interest the most, was the fact that she would finally be able to come face to face with the enemy's strongest weapon.

She would finally get to meet Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

To the average human eye, it was a beautiful day in Karakura Town. The sun was beaming brightly despite the nearing winter and there was not one cloud in the sky to stop its rays. Children and teens were making their way to work while their parents parted ways with them and wished them a great day. To anyone, it seemed that that exactly what would be.

But _he_ wasn't just anyone.

As he flash stepped through the air, large Zanpakuto in his hand, the orange haired teen had never felt as much joy as he did in that moment in a very long time, and it was evident by the almost sadistic smirk that he wore on his lips.

His target? A hollow that was chasing the soul of a young boy which he had sensed while he was preparing for school earlier that morning. Wasting no time, he skipped his morning breakfast with his sisters and father without them having a second thought as to why he was in such a rush to get out the door. He had located the hollow and was actually excited as he pressed his Substitute Badge to his chest to hop out of his body which was what led up to where he was now, which was clashing his sword against the hollow's forearm.

Now of course, he could have easily defeated the hollow minutes ago but he was enjoying himself too much to make the job quick. However, he realized that he had an insufficient amount of time before classes started, and decided to put an end to his fun. Letting out a loud cry that went in sync with the fearful howl of the hollow, he brought Zangetsu up above his head before bringing it down to slice the monster in half. Without missing a second, the hollow began to disintegrate in thin air.

 _Ichigo Kurosaki_

 _Hair Color: Orange_

 _Eye Color: Brown_

He dropped to the ground, landing on two feet with the grace of a dancer. He rested Zangetsu over his shoulders before beaming with a child like smile.

 _Occupation: Substitute Shinigami_

"Amazing, Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo snapped out of his child like daze and turned to see Orihime, waving excitedly in his direction with a happy smile, Chad right by her side giving him an approving nod. He gave them both a warm smile in return.

"Thank you, Orihime." He replied as he made his way back to his body.

Once he was all set and back in his regular school uniform, the three of them began to make their way towards Karakura High with enough time to spare before the first bell rang.

"So what were you guys doing out here anyways?" Ichigo questioned. He was so busy enjoying himself with one measly hollow that it probably explained why he didn't notice their presence.

"Well Chad and I were making our way to school when we felt your spiritual pressure. It's very overwhelming you know. Even more so than before. I almost didn't recognize you." Orihime explained as if she was just realizing the idea herself.

Ichigo felt himself give a soft smirk at the thought. He unconsciously brought his hand (the free one that wasn't holding his bag) up from his side, surveying it as if his spiritual energy was right in its palm. She was right. Ever since he regained his Shinigami Powers, it was very apparent to him that he had much more power under his belt than he did before.

"I sucked at concealing it before and now it's even harder, sorry." He apologized full heartedly with his usual smirk on his face. Chad smiled from behind him while Orihime felt her cheeks heat up at the sight of his happiness.

The three of them parted their separate ways once reaching inside of the school. Orihime had to meet up with her math teacher for extra help and Chad managed to wander off on his own, so he decided to make his way to put the books that he wouldn't need for the first period of the day in his locker. On his way there, however, a familiar voice called his name.

"Oi, Kurosaki!"

He turned around to see Uryu, his trademark scowl painted on his face as he approached in his direction. "Yo, Uryu, how's it going?"

The dark haired teen was slightly caught off guard by Ichigo's good mood. He wasn't used to Ichigo greeting him without the usual scowl on his face, much less with an aura of something along the lines of...euphoria?

But just as quick as he was caught off guard with Ichigo's happy go lucky attitude, a vein popped out of his head.

"What the hell are you doing going around releasing your spiritual pressure like that?!" He exclaimed with annoyance dripping in his tone.

Ichigo's eyes widened before his calm attitude quickly mimicked Uryu's annoyed one, his pupils turning into slits of anger. "What the hell do you mean by that! I was only doing my job! If you have a problem with it why don't you get off of your ass and do something with that stupid bow and arrow of yours?!"

"It's a Bow and _Heilig Pfeil_ you idiot! How many times do I have to correct you on that?!"

"How about you take that _Heilig Pfeil_ and shove it up your―"

"Boys!"

The two teens were basically butting heads when they heard the sound of a rough voice that caused them to pause in their mini feud. Coming in their direction was none other than Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo. Tatsuki was obviously the one who called a stop to their bickering, an annoyed expression on her face as if she was dealing with two children, meanwhile Keigo and Mizuiro were chuckling quietly.

Ichigo gave Uryu one last look of aggravation (to which he did the same) before turning to greet his other friends.

"Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki, good morning." He greeted, Uryu nodding his head as if to echo Ichigo's words.

Tatsuki seemed to freeze at his words, her dark colored eyes squinting in confusion at her childhood friend. Ichigo noticed this, causing him to furrow his brows at her sudden facial expression.

"You've never looked this happy before." She commented as she put her hand to her chin in wonder. Rolling onto the tips of her toes, she leaned into Ichigo's _personal_ space to survey him even closer, much to his obvious displeasure. After a minute of concentrating, she finally snapped her fingers in discovery.

"You've been with a woman!" She exclaimed in all seriousness, causing Ichigo to literally drop to the floor in embarrassment.

"That's not fair!" Keigo immediately transitioned from his happy state to tears streaming down his face. "How could Ichigo get hot and heavy with a babe before I do!"

"Can both of you shut the hell up! I haven't been with anyone and even if I had been I certain wouldn't have told any of you!" Ichigo yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at them.

Mizuiro was watching the scene unfold along with Uryu, chuckling into his hand at the silliness of his friends.

They were all aware of Ichigo's powers, as well as the Soul Society albeit vaguely. However, there was no doubt in their minds that the main reason behind the orange haired teen's happiness had something to do with his newly recovered abilities, and they were happy for him all the same.

"Oh that reminds me Ichigo," Tatsuki began. "My boss left me the job of cleaning up the dojo while he's away on business for a few days. But I have a date that night. Mind if you and Ikumi do the cleaning for me?" She asked with a large grin on her face.

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched at the request as he glared in her direction. "Just because we do odd jobs doesn't mean that your chores are included! And since when did you start dating anyways?!"

"I'll pay you~!" She added as if that would change his defiant answer.

"As if that would make it any better! Ikumi doesn't accept jobs like those." He came off as serious when he said this, but deep down he felt himself turn blue at the real reason that he couldn't accept Tatsumi's request.

 _To be truthful, I haven't seen Ikumi since my powers returned, and I'm scared what she might do to me if I see her again._

He could almost picture the way her eyes would turn red with anger the moment they crossed paths again. He shuddered.

A few minutes later and the bell that announced the start of the school day had sounded. Ichigo made his way to his first class with Keigo by his side, still trying to pry out of him if he slept with a girl or not. Of course this only stopped when the teacher "accidentally" tossed an eraser at his face with impressive force.

He took a seat by the window, hearing the teacher explain their lesson plan for the day, starting with the fact that she was going to pass out the quizzes they all took a few days ago. But his mind began to drift off towards other things.

It had been a few months since he saw his friends from the Soul Society. Of course unlike before his powers returned, he was able to go and visit them whenever he wanted to. But he knew that most of his responsibilities were in Karakura Town. Besides, they must have been busy themselves having to deal with the new discovery of Fullbringers. But still...it would have been nice if they were able to visit him...

"Kurosaki!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ichigo was surprised (and nearly fell out of his chair) when he saw that his teacher stood before him, his quiz in her hand. Her dark colored eyes furrowed in a mixture of concern and disappointment causing him to become serious.

"Geez," She took a deep breath as she placed the quiz on his desk. He took the paper into his own hands, seeing his handwriting cover the entire page. The only thing that was different was the giant red letter located at the top center.

 _D_

"I expect more from one of my brightest students." She stated causing his eyes to drift from his paper and back to her disappointed stare. "You may be a superb athlete but that will get you nowhere in the real world. You need to start thinking about your future, Ichigo."

And with that, she gave him one last look before making her way to finish passing out the rest of her quizzes. She didn't realize that what she had said had hit Ichigo deeper than it should have.

It followed him throughout the rest of his classes. It clouded his thoughts while he was practicing with the soccer team (which he recently returned to). Even on the way home as he dodged a hit from his father and greeted his two sisters with a smile did her words dwell on his mind. The reason being so, was because it forced him to think about the selfish truth that he knew deep down he had tried to hide since two years ago when Rukia first pierced him with her blade.

He didn't want to be anything else but a Shinigami.

* * *

"Oi, oi! You're hogging all the sake Shinji!"

"I'm the one who managed to sneak it here, don't tell me what to do Kensei!"

"Now, now, guys.."

"SHUT UP, ROSE!"

The three former ex-captains of the Soul Society sat on the floor of the entertainment area of Shinji's office, the three good friends were sharing a bottle of sake thanks to Shinji who had managed to sneak some from a dinner recently hosted by the Kuchiki clan. At first, he wanted it all to himself, however Rose witnessed when he snatched the bottle and Kensei...well Kensei was Kensei after all.

Oh well, he couldn't complain. After all, had Hiyori and the others been in the Soul Society with them instead of staying behind in the human world, he wouldn't have even had a chance to have more than a third of the bottle.

He smirked. The thought of his little pain in the ass made him miss her a little. Of course he was still able to contact her through the use of a special cellphone created by Kisuke but a part of him missed having his entire Visored family being together. He understood why they decided to decline the offer to return to the Soul Society though. When he was offered back his position, it took him a few weeks to process the decision. Rose and Kensei included.

"Let me tell you," Kensei stated, his cheeks tinted with pink. "My squad has gone to shit ever since I took my eye off of them! They're all soft! Every time I enter a room with them they greet me with wobbly knees and look like they're about to piss their pants!"

"It seems that Kensei still lacks patience doesn't he?" Rose comments as he rests his head on his palm, a smile on his face.

"Or his squad has always been shit in general." Shinji commented as he gave Kensei a knowing smirk.

"Why you little―"

"Oi, don't threaten to hit me with the little amount of sake we have left! Ya drunk little shit!" Shinji explained as he comically reached out to stop Kensei.

"Who the hell are you calling drunk little shit when you're drunk yourself, idiot!"

"Who the hell are ya callin' idiot? Just because ya have a squad of pansies doesn't mean ya get to take your frustration out on me!"

"Why you―"

The two of them were butting heads with each other, gritting their teeth with anger in their eyes. They were so invested in insulting each other that they didn't realize the sake was no longer in Kensei's hand until the heard a quiet hiccup.

The two Captains broke apart from each other to see, much to their disappointment, that Rose had finished what was left of the sake.

"Excuse me." His smile never leaving his face.

Kensei and Shinji immediately felt the lines of depression floating over their heads.

After a while when they both were back to normal, Shinji was caught off guard from the words that left Kensei's mouth shortly after.

"The Soul Society sure has changed a lot since we left, hasn't it?"

Shinji along with Rose stared at Kensei in shock. He's said these words before in his usual annoyed tone, but they had never heard him say it with such sadness. Sad was something that just didn't fit Kensei's personality in general.

Shinji didn't have to ask why Kensei was so upset. The Soul Society did in fact change. What used to be a structured, safe place filled with Shinigami ready to defend those who were in need of help, turned into a place of mistrust and shady secrets that were kept in order to keep the Gotei 13 going. Anyone would be disappointed if that was what had become of their home. However, he refused to let Kensei go into deep conversation while he was feeling so vulnerable.

"Well then," He said as he yawned. "I have a lot of paper to do tomorrow morning so if you'd all excuse me, I'll be headin' to my chambers."

And with that, the three Captains parted their ways for the night. Shinji made his way to his bedroom, the large moon casting a peaceful glow over his Barrack.

 _What a beautiful night._ He thought, though his face still portrayed its usual look of disinterest. _Wonder if the Human World has the same sky._

He finally came to a stop in front of his room, his hand reaching out to slide his door open until he noticed something that made him freeze in his stance.

The pale moonlight that was cascading over his features only a few seconds ago had suddenly begun to turn into warm red shade. He quickly turned around to face a sight that made his eyes widen unbelievably wide.

The moon was beginning to turn red, its beautiful white light slowly being devoured by the bloody color until it was completely taken over.

"A...A lunar eclipse?" He questioned, not really sure how he was supposed to react to this situation.

Before he could even dwell on it, he felt a large amount of spiritual pressure heading towards him with great speed. With this he gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto and whipped it out of its sheathe just in time for him to slice off the hand belonging to his opponent.

To his surprise, however, he saw that the hand that dropped to his feet was not...human. It was pitch black, yet he could still see the claws that protruded from his fingers instead of normal nails. And if that didn't frighten him, the fact that it began to disintegrate in front of his very eyes did.

" _Shinigami..._ "

In response to the dreadful voice, Shinji looked up from where the hand used to be only to come face to face with a being that made his skin pale in terror. It was shaped like a man, but even so looked far from one. Its body was just as black as its hand that he severed, pointed ears extending out from either side of its head. Its reiatsu formed two bat-like wings on its back along with a fairly long tail. Its red colored eyes gleamed as it gave Shinji a sickening grin, its mouth widening literally from ear to ear. He never thought he would ever see one in person for his entire existence.

"A... _Demon_?"


	2. Shinigami Picture Book 1

**[READ ME]: Hello one and all! Like I said, I had the idea to post some mini stories in during the middle of the week in between chapters. Sometimes it won't happen as often once I feel like I have a strong enough audience that won't mind if I don't post for a while, but for now this is how it shall go! Mind you, these Shinigami Picture books will be just as choppy, rushed, and whacky as the anime and it _definitely_ will not be as in depth and descriptive as the actual chapters. Some will be normal reading length and some will be unimaginably short. This also gives me the chance to add long author's notes that usually you guys would ignore if this was an actual chapter. And speaking of that there are two things that I think you guys should know before the next chapter:**

 **\- So I got some really great criticism on my Prologue that really helped me as I was editing through the first chapter. I also realized some faults on my own such as grammar mistakes and repetitiveness (which my AP english teacher would get my ass about) and immediately tried my best to fix that. But also I saw that I was lacking description where it was needed. And honestly that annoys me just as much as repetitiveness if not even more. So I definitely fixed that for the first chapter.**

 **\- In the prologue, some of you (or no one) may have noticed that I changed my OC's name from "Rin" to "Sutorei". I've been meaning to do this since I published. This isn't just because I like the name Sutorei more (which I actually prefer Rin), but it's because Sutorei has a certain meaning behind it that will be explained in later chapters.**

 **Anyways, thanks to the people who have read and voted so far! I hope to get many more readers/votes as well as feedback (which I have no idea how to get my story noticed)~! Now, to the first Shinigami Picture Book!**

* * *

 **Shinigami Picture Book #1**

Description: Ichigo has just finished his day as school and is now on his way home. The words of his Sensei continues to echo in his mind causing him to be more distracted than usual, ultimately results in him to be a little off his game of sensing certain people...

"No wonder I got a D...how was I supposed to memorize all of those equations the same night I was dealing with those damn hollows!" Ichigo exclaimed as he crumpled the below mediocre quiz between his palm in annoyance.

 _Maybe I should just throw it away..._

As he made his way down the sidewalk, he didn't notice the dark aura hovering behind him until he peeked down to see another shadow grow behind his own. Snapping his head behind him, he was only met with thin air.

"Um...hello?" He spoke out as if the shadow would reveal itself at the sound of his voice. It didn't. Shrugging, he went back to his thoughts.

 ** _Ichigo..._**

"EH!" Ichigo felt himself jump out of his skin as he spun around once again. He could have sworn he heard someone call his voice in such a sadistic way that he was almost one hundred percent sure that it belonged to the devil himself.

But once again, there was no one there.

A few passersby eyed him like he was some sort of insane maniac that was seeing ghosts. In other words, how they looked at him when he was younger. He gave them all a nervous laugh before he turned back to his walk.

 _That's funny...I could've sworn that was..._

He brushed the thought out of his mind with another nervous laugh. No, it couldn't be. There was no way she would try and attack him out in the open right?...

...

In a matter of seconds, Ichigo sprinted all the way back to the Kurosaki Clinic.

* * *

A few blocks away from the Kurosaki household, standing in between a dark alley stood a tall woman that seemed to blend in with the shadows, a mischievous grin on her face as she watched Ichigo make his way inside. Wearing a white shirt with the name 'UNAGI' printed in bolded kanji, there was no question to who the identity of this woman was.

"Ichigo," Ikumi taunted with an evil glint in her eye. "One day I _will_ drag your ass back to work!"


	3. Chapter One: The Datenshi

**[READ ME]:** **Hey guys! So this is the first official chapter. I hope you all enjoy it :) Unlike the prologue, this was re read and re edited like a thousand times over the week so you'll definitely see the difference I hope. I don't think I'll post a Shinigami Picture Book this week. Maybe...I don't know. I decided that for my OC's, their profiles will come in once this part of the story (the demon invasion) is over and done with. As for who the Datenshi are (if you're wondering) I think I'll probably leave that to be explained throughout the story. But anyways leave some comments, tell me how it was or if there were any canon mistakes or grammar mistakes or anything.**

* * *

 ** **SOUL SOCIE** TY**

Three hours before the attack, Shinji had not been the only Shinigami reveling in one of the final peaceful moments that the Soul Society would ever have.

In her own form of revel, Rukia was doing her usual job as the Lieutenant, making sure her fellow companions were doing what they were supposed to do as well as fulfilling duties of her own.

It was quite a busy day compared to most actually. She had to lead some of the members of Squad 13 to deal with a pesky hollow situation that was occurring in the Rukongai which took up a majority of the day which was a pain since she still had paperwork to fill out. It also didn't help that when she returned, the third-seaters Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki decided to have a competition on who would be able to pick the most medicinal plants in order to decorate Captain Ukitake's chambers. That she might add was a lot more tiring to deal with than the hollows. Thankfully, Renji was able to cover her while she dealt with the situation.

As she was supervising the two fools while they were cleaning up their unnecessary mess, Kiyone paused in the middle of picking up a honeysuckle, determination in her eyes as she looked to Rukia.

"M-My apologies Fuku-Taichou! I forgot to mention that Ukitake requested that you come to his office once you returned from Rukongai immediately!"

"O-Oh, yes ma'am." Sentaro hopped in feeling as if he was being upstaged. "I was the one who reminded Kiyone of this message by the way!"

The two bickered on for a bit and while Rukia had half a mind to shut them up, she was more focused on why Ukitake wanted to speak to her, and why it couldn't wait until tomorrow. Of course, this wasn't the first time that she's been summoned by him. It was normal for a Captain to want to speak to their Lieutenant about anything in general including the good, the bad and in Ukitake's case, sometimes for him just to treat her to some sweets. Though one thing stayed the same whenever it did happen, and that was the fact that her nerves would try and take the best of her.

As she made her way to his office, she kept a stoic expression on her face despite how she was feeling on the inside completely betrayed this. It was a little trick that she learned from Renji a while back. He did it all the time when he had to approach Byakuya who was lot less easier talk than Captain Ukitake, even if he was her beloved brother. Needless to say, it made her look as if she had not one stray thought running through her mind.

Finally sliding the door open to his office, Rukia walked all the way to where the white haired male was sitting at his desk, a warm and welcoming smile on his face as compared to his stern and disappointed one.

 _So it isn't anything bad...what a relief._

"Ah, good evening Rukia." He greeted. "How are you enjoying your night?"

Slightly flustered, Rukia immediately bowed respectfully. So much for that stupid trick. "Ukitake-taichou. You summoned me here?"

"Always straight to the point I see." Ukitake chuckled to himself. She reminded him so much of Byakuya when she was acted so. Prompt and always straight to the point. "Well then, right to it shall we? I've noticed that you've been working extremely hard these past few months."

"Yes sir." Rukia replied without missing a beat. "As you know it is the Lieutenant's duty to carry out any assignments given to them by their Captain."

"Which you have been doing at an exceptionally fast pace. It makes me wonder if you've had any time to yourself at all. Even Renji has been complaining about your lack of communication." He explained as he leaned his head against his palm, a faux expression of worriedness appearing on his angelic like face.

Rukia could feel her cheeks tinge with pink at this statement. Of course she wouldn't have much time to socialize. Not when there was work to be done. And just because Renji chooses to slack off doesn't mean that she would follow in the same path as he does. She could almost see the redhead sitting back in his chambers with a bottle of sake in his hands, cheeks dusted with pink as he hid from the watchful eyes of her brother. A vein of anger popped from her head out of her annoyance.

"Well yes sir if I am your Lieutenant, I aim to be the best Lieutenant you've ever had." Realizing what she had said, she quickly added in a softer tone, "Besides Kaien...of course."

This sentence caught Ukitake off guard, but even so it filled him with an unexpected happiness, and he was not opposed to it whatsoever. "And that you already are, Rukia, even if you don't notice it yet. But as your Captain I also have a right to be concerned about your happiness."

"What...are you trying to say?" Rukia asked softly, now very concerned about what this meeting was about. She wasn't sure what direction he was heading in. Was he going to relieve her of her position as Lieutenant? She felt her stomach twist at the thought.

"Rukia," He began with a determined smile on his face. "How would you like to be assigned to Karakura Town again?"

It took a while, but soon enough the question hit her with such a force that she wasn't even sure how she was still able to stand. To be assigned to Karakura Town...she didn't have to ask why her Captain would suggest such a thing. By being there she would be able to be with one of the first actual friends she had ever had in her life. The orange haired Substitute Shinigami known as Kurosaki Ichigo. But how could a Lieutenant ever leave their Captain's side for such a long period of time?

"Ukitake...taichou…" Were the only words that were able to leave her lips.

Captain Ukitake looked like he was about to add something, but suddenly froze in the process. His friendly smile turned into a deep frown as if he sensed something that she didn't. But before Rukia could ask what the problem was, she felt it. There was a sudden change in energy. The very feel of the atmosphere had went from calm and peaceful to one of pure malevolence and despair in what only seemed to be a matter of seconds. Something was definitely wrong.

Rukia looked at Captain Ukitake, who didn't seemed to be confused like she was, but more so...frightened. Without looking at her, he ordered, "Rukia, alert the rest of Squad 13 to get ready for battle."

She didn't have to be told twice. Rukia quickly sprinted out of the office, planning to immediately carry through with Ukitake's orders of alerting the rest of her Squad. But the moment she stepped outside, she couldn't find herself to move at the sight that lay before her.

The moon...it was red. It was a bloody red color and its light was now cascading over the Soul Society, making it look like they had suddenly entered into hell. But what really made her blood freeze was when her violet colored eyes spotted black, monstrous looking beings with wings flooding the sky. And by the direction they were going, she knew that they were heading towards the Gotei 13.

"What the hell...is this?" She could barely form her words, both fear and confusion taking over her body.

"Rukia," Her Captain's voice sounded behind her, making her glance back to see a serious expression covering his usually soft features. "Prepare for battle."

* * *

 **KARAKURA TOWN**

 _"Damn you!"_

The hollow wailed an ear shattering howl as Ichigo cut Zangetsu through its broad body with ease, his Zanpakuto shining in the midst of the moonlight.

After a few hours of sulking in his room, it was just his luck that four hollows happened to appear so that he was able to get his frustrations out. He was still bothered by his teacher's words from earlier, and he thought that perhaps when he was through ridding the area of hollows that he would have gotten over it. Instead, doing this made him realize even more that he really didn't see him living his life doing anything but being a Shinigami. He had no interest in the medical field, although thanks to his dad he could bandage someone here and there. He didn't see himself being a mathematician because let's face it, who likes math? He refused to do anything with science because he was definitely nowhere near as talented in that area as someone like Kisuke. In fact, there was nothing that interested him as much as protecting the people he loves.

 _A policeman?_ The thought popped into his head, and he could picture himself dressed in the ridiculous Karakura Town cop uniform, shades over his eyes as he held his badge out for a criminal to see. A large sweat drop appeared on his head on how ridiculous it seemed.

"Geez.." He muttered as he stood in the middle of the sky, the wind shifting his hair to the side of his face. Why couldn't he stop thinking about it? Was he really that puzzled on what he wanted to do for a living?

The arrival of a familiar Spiritual Pressure snapped him out of his thoughts. When he turned in its direction, he wasn't surprised to see Uryu standing below him at the top of a nearby building, wearing his usual Quincy attire, his bright blue bow settled in his hand. Once Ichigo noticed his presence, Uryu quickly looked away with an air of annoyance, causing Ichigo to grow a mischievous look on his face.

"Following me I see?" He commented jokingly as he slung his blade over his shoulders.

"Tch, in your dreams Kurosaki." The dark haired teen as a vein popped out of his head in anger. "I sensed some hollows and I came to take care of them. But since you managed to hide your spiritual pressure so well I didn't know you were here this time."

"Yea, well," Ichigo began as he rubbed his free hand behind his head sheepishly. "I don't really notice when I control it or not."

"Idiot." Uryu muttered causing Ichigo to barely hear the insult. "You should really get that situated. Why don't you ask Kisuke for help?"

Ichigo shrugged, quickly deflecting the question about the ex Captain that he hadn't seen ever since a few months ago. "Dunno, besides why are you worrying about me? You should be worried about how slow you're getting to take care of these hollows."

"Oi, oi! Why don't you come down here and saw that to my face!" Uryu cried out as he comically readied his bow.

Ichigo would have normally responded back with another quick witted remark, however as he remembered what he was thinking about earlier, a question popped into his head. "Yo Uryu. What do you plan on being? You know, besides a Quincy?"

Uryu rested his bow back to his side, puzzled by the sudden question. But even so, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before replying, "Isn't it obvious? Run the Ishida Hospital while designing my own brand of clothing on the side."

"Um,..." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched as the second part of Uryu's response caught him off guard. He could already imagine the amount of Quincy like clothing that would be sold in stores all across Japan.

"What about you?" He questioned causing Ichigo recover from his imagination.

"Well," He brought his hand up to his chin to begin pondering for what seemed to be the third time that day until something else caught his interest.

The night's once calm and serene aura had suddenly took a drastic left turn. The winds started to pick up, and Ichigo sensed a feeling in the air that he could only describe as something along the lines of malicious and sadistic. He hadn't felt something so close since the arrival of the Arrancars and even now, this was on a completely different level. He looked to Uryu who shared the same look of confusion mixed with anxiety as he did.

Ichigo didn't know what he expected to happen after, but he definitely did not expect what occurred next. Noticing the strange glint in the Uryu's glasses, he turned around to face the direction of where it was coming from. His mouth parted at what he saw. The moon's pale white light was becoming tainted with the color red at an unusually fast pace, causing the surroundings to be bathed in its new color. He felt his heart race watching as the bloody color took over completely.

 _A lunar eclipse?_ He felt his hand grip the handle of his Zanpakuto. _No...but what is this feeling?_

As if it would somehow lead him to an answer, his eyes scanned around his surroundings attentively. At first, there was nothing that seemed out of place besides the vast sky that was beginning to turn a shade darker than the moon. But once he took a second look around, he finally spotted something located right in the midst of the of the blood moon. It was far off into the distance, yet he could still tell that by the outline of her hair flowing in the wind, along with her short kimono that it was a girl. But those details weren't enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"Hey!" He called out before using his shunpo to pace towards her.

"Kurosaki! Wait!"

He heard Uryu cry out his name but chose to ignore it. He already had his mind set on figuring out just who the hell this girl was and how what she had to do with everything that was happening so far. Besides, in only a matter of seconds from where he started, he was only a few meters away from her. In fact he was so close to her person that he was took the time to notice that the color of her kimono was white. Her back was facing him while she looked in the direction of the moon, causing him to wonder if she sensed his presence at all. If so, then what was taking her so long to acknowledge him?

As if she heard his thoughts, he was surprised to see when her head began to turn towards his only prompted him to pick up speed, readying Zangetsu. He brought the oversized Zanpakuto over his head, preparing to land a strike just as he was about to catch a glimpse of her eyes―

But instead of clashing with his mysterious opponent, Ichigo was surprised to see what blocked his strike instead.

He used to have nightmares when he was younger. These said nightmares were of monsters that lived under his bed and waited patiently for him to stick just one foot or arm out so that they would have the opportunity to grab either in order to drag him into their depths of darkness. He never really have a face to put to these monsters, he just always labeled them as the dark. But now, as his eyes gazed at the being in front of him, he could justly say that he knew exactly what those monsters looked like.

It was pitch black, blacker than how his room looked when all of the lights were turned off at night, the curtains blocking the moonlight from entering through his window. Black spiritual energy appeared in the form of wings on its back along with a tail which whipped happily behind it. Its arms were crossed in front of its chest, pressing against Ichigo's blade with great force. Its smirk was unusually wide, surprisingly pearly white canine teeth shining in the red moonlight.

Ulquiorra popped into Ichigo's head as he stared at the creature, for it had all the similar traits of the Quatro Espada's Resurrection.

He grit his teeth before putting a stop to his inspection and applying enough pressure so that he was able to push away from the being. The action causes him to sever the arms off of it. At first, Ichigo believed that the being would now be easier to defeat without the use of its arms, but then something took place that caused him to have second thoughts.

The same dark reiatsu that formed its tail and wings began to transform in the place of its missing limbs, only for Ichigo realize that it was growing a new pair of arms. He growls under his breath at this, and is about to ready Zangetsu once more, but freezes when his eyes catch a dark cloud forming in the distance.

He is horrified when he realizes that there isn't just the one being, which was the one he was battling, but a dozen more heading in the direction of Karakura Town. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that all of were coming from the moon itself. He took a quick glance of the civilians that were caught in the middle of this battle, seeing that all were either stepping out of their cars or peeking out of their windows. They were most likely staring at the moon because they thought that they were witnessing a lunar eclipse, seeing as they wouldn't be able to see the dark beings that were flooding the night sky.

"Oi! Kurosaki!"

Ichigo looked down below to see Uryu (who had finally caught up to him) already in action, his bow and arrow shooting through the centers of all of the beings that dared to cross his paths. Although instead of regenerating like the one that Ichigo had recently attacked, they were disintegrating into thin air.

"You have to attack them through their center!" He warned, seeing the confusion written all over Ichigo's face. "If not then they'll just restore the limbs they lost!"

Just as he said this, Ichigo felt the presence of nearing him. Taking Uryu's advice, he quickly whipped around to slice Zangetsu straight through its chest, splitting the being in half. Sure enough it disappeared within seconds. They were like hollows he concluded, but just more of a pain to kill.

"Uryu!" Ichigo called out as he used his shunpo to appear back to back with the Quincy. "We're going to have to stop these things from harming the civilians down there!"

"Don't you think I already know that! What the hell are these things anyways?!"

"I have no idea," Ichigo muttered as he prepared himself. "But they're definitely nothing I've ever felt before."

"Whatever they are, they must have something to do with the moon." Uryu deduced as he readied his bow in his hands. "We'll figure it out when we're done dealing with them. Let's go!"

And with that, the two went their separate ways. Ichigo's unofficial plan was just to slice and get rid of as many of the dark beings as he could. That and make sure that none of the citizens got hurt. He didn't know where they were coming from or if their number would ever end, but what he did know was that he needed to do whatever he could to protect the town. And that's exactly what he would follow through it. Despite of his heroic thoughts however, as Ichigo was about to head for his first attempt to ending the reign of the monstrous beings, he felt the side of his body near his chest tear open.

Before he could even figure out just what the hell happened, he heard someone speak from behind his back.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." The voice, male, said in a demanding tone. "Turn around and face me."

Even if he wasn't ordered to, Ichigo would have turned around regardless. There was no way someone could have cut him that easily without him having been able to feel at least a pinch of their spiritual pressure. It was as if they had come from thin air. He had no time to even think about dodging even if he wanted to.

Sure enough, when he turned around he came to face a guy. He was wearing a Shihakusho similar to his own, except his was pure white, the only color in his outfit being a blue colored sash that was tied in the front in a sloppy knot. He looked about Ichigo's age, his blonde hair barely brushing against his soldiers as it flowed giving him an almost graceful look despite his harsh glare. In his right hand was a sword that seemed to be in an unreleased state, there being nothing special about it asides the fact that Ichigo's blood was dripping from its edges down to the ground below.

 _How far have I come...only to be cut down with an unreleased sword…_

He gripped his side, gritting his teeth as he tried to regain his composure while eyeing the man who lay before him. Ichigo gave him credit, the guy was courteous. Even with the surprise attack, the blonde haired male waited patiently for Ichigo to catch his breath. Ichigo however was slightly distracted when he caught sight of the person who he now had no doubt started the reigning terror, standing far above them as if waiting to watch the brewing battle.

It was the girl.

* * *

 **SOUL SOCIETY**

Shinji didn't think there was going to be an end to these things.

It had been almost a half hour since since the demons first appeared in the Soul Society. Every Squad was currently fighting to protect one another from the increasing threat. Unfortunately even with all of the Spiritual Energies he felt (and the ones that he felt disappear), he had yet to run into the only group of people he truly cared about, which was his fellow Visoreds.

 _This is impossible._ He thought as he sliced through another demon. _Even if there are an infinite amount of them, why is it that they are so targeted on attacking the Gotei 13?_

During his time fighting, he also took the time to take notice of his surroundings. He wasn't sure why they would be so fixated on the Gotei 13 when there were plenty of easier souls to devour outside of where all of the Shinigami were located. Demons weren't the type of beings to pinpoint a certain kind of prey. Even if they were stronger and more advanced than hollows physically, their brain would barely pass the size of a green pea. It just didn't piece well together. Not only that but where were they coming from? Demons are beings that never once coexisted with the Soul Society or the Human World. Hollows, yes, but not demons. The only way that could be possible was if _they_ found a way back to their realm and brought the parasites back with them.

 _No, that can't be it._ He denied the possibility with every being.

He decided to get back to focusing on getting rid of the demons, and it was then that he realized that there was something a little strange about them (aside from the obvious). Once in awhile, he would notice how a light pink, almost purple reiatsu tinged around their being ever so often. And from what he knew, it definitely wasn't theirs. He could tell that it was all coming from one person, and whoever that person may be must have been the one who was giving them the order to attack them specifically.

"So is my hunch right?" He said aloud as he clashed with a demon, purposely not killing him easily so that he may get more details. "That ya pieces of shit areunder control? Who's doing this? Who sent y'all here?"

The demon, a wide smile plastered on its face, replied, " _She let us free from her blade. She tells us to kill all Shinigami."_

It then looks upwards, causing Shinji to follow its gaze as well. As anticipated, higher up in the sky a figure stood calmly. Because she was standing directly in the lighting, Shinji was able to tell that it was a girl. She seemed almost unbothered by the bloodfest, watching as everything unfolded with her hands folded behind her back. In between those folded hands was a sword, the blade glowing a similar pinkish color to the reiatsu that sporadically appears around the demons. There was no doubt that she was the master that the demon was referring to.

 _How the hell could she control so many demons at once?! No Shinigami has the ability to..._

And just like that, it him. However, being distracted in his revelation, he didn't realize the demon that he clashed with was about to strike. But before it could lay a claw on him, a red ball of energy blasted it to bits. As the demon disintegrated, Shinji wasn't shocked to see that it was Unohana who used Shakkaho to defeat it. She had a grave expression on her face as if she had just witnessed the return of someone which she had deep rooted hatred against. And in a way, that was true.

"What a lovely night." Shinji commented as he made his way toward the dangerously calm Captain. "Enjoyin' yerself, Unohana?"

"Hirako," She stated simply as her eyes cast upwards towards the girl. "You know what this is, don't you?"

"Ah," Shinji nodded as he followed her gaze to look up at the girl again with a grave expression. "It's them…

..

... _Datenshi_."

With that, the girl disappeared.


End file.
